We seem to have crammed in quite a bit in the last two days and now it's Monday - I am suitably tired - just right for starting the new week (erhem...)
Any way, Saturday was my Dad's 70th birthday - 70!
wow, he looks good on it I have to say.
We were to all converge on the family home that evening to celebrate. So, first thing in the morning we all texted (sms) suitably congratulatory/rude/celebratory type messages before getting on with the pre-party chores making of deserts and the vegetarian option, wrapping of pressies, writing of cards and the general jollity of enjoying a day off work and school.
Youngest and I harvested our potato 'crop'. A small but very successful one. In years gone by we have struggled with different varieties that gave a poor yield on our heavy clay. But a combination of trial and error, adding home-grown compost year on year, we have finally found that the salad potato - 'Pink Fir Apple' does well. And they are so YUM!
One of my Dad's favourite deserts is a Banoffi Pie - a truly calorifically sinful pudd that I make for him on special occasions and seeing today was his day, this would be the perfect time to put all diets and morals aside. The boys (all three I hasten to add) all agreed with me about making it as this means lots of licking out of caramelled-condensed milk bowls, whipped cream covered spoons and generally hanging around the kitchen hopefully. The was so much smacking of lips and licking of sticky fingers that I am surprised that we had enough ingredients to take a completed desert!
The boys were put to pressie-wrapping detail and this took a lot of planning and cutting up of boxes and paper. My Dad's smallest gift was wrapped layer on layer to make it the largest box and despite it weighing very little, on presenting it to my Dad, the boys pretended to struggle under the weight of it as they carried in it triumphantly in and landed it on his lap.
He is not the easiest person to buy the perfect gift for, but I think we did it this year, as when he opened his multi-layered present he seemed lost for words when on discovering what was hidden inside - it was worth all the planning and secret whispering between all the family members to agree on what to give him.
We sat down to a lovely meal and my Dad regaled us with stories of Africa and we all swapped tales of wild game viewing in the Kruger National Park. Laughing over the animal antics and the dangers of cars breaking down or running out of fuel in the middle of the wildness where there was the potential of a ravenous lion hiding behind every bush!
A chocolate cake resplendent with candles and the Banoffi pie were duly brought out and very quickly consumed - then we quietly spread out, some staying at the table chatting at length, others moving across to the lounge to knit and crochet (guess which group I was in!) while my boys persuaded their favourite aunt and uncle to play cards where the level of cheating was of Olympian proportions!
Saturday went well. Very Well.
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Sunday - was a reach-for-the-walking-boots day.
We picked up a young friend and headed off to Grass Wood - a deeply deeply loved place. The boys (our two and friend) and giddy dog must have picked up every stick along the way, tested it or tasted it in the case of the dog... and by the magic of imagination the sticks became swords, guns, they became staffs of power, bolts of lightening, they turned into snakes or dragons. The games ranged for 5 hours of walking. They played tig or rugby tackle, they played roving hide and seek, they ran with the dog, climbed rocks, climbed trees, hid and pounced - they never stopped. Not surprisingly, by the end of the day they were knackered!
I took photos - a celebration of autumn.
This morning, when I awoke, I could feel that we had been a goodly length walk the day before as my knees creek like old wooden farm doors with rusty hinges - quick pass me some lubricating oil!!
Well, that was our weekend, how was yours?
not nearly so tiring but i did enjoy myself buying the two fleeces at Masham sheep fair! Love the funghi pictures
ReplyDeleteSounds good, hope you took some photos, would love to see them!
ReplyDeleteWhat fleeces did you get?
Fungi could be inspiring, pot-thinking-interesting patterns in those.
ReplyDeleteI spent most of the weekend digging and weeding
What did you buy your dad???????????
ReplyDeletesounds lovely :)
ReplyDeleteparticularly the banoffee pie,,,
gz - the fungi were at their most beautiful, the colours were so rich as was the patterning and detailing - I could not get enough of them!
ReplyDeleteCarole - we bought him a helicopter flight over the Lady Bower Dam in the Peak District, where the allied air forces practised their bombing raids during the 2nd World War. Two of his most favourite subjects - flying and anything to do with WW2
Colouritgreen - yes it was lovely, yum yum yum! All gone now sadly x
It was a lovely evening. Not often he is lost for words. For once he had no idea of what was being planned. I confirm the banoffi pie was scrumptious and the chocolate cake light and very choccy. Grass Wood Walk sounded like fun too. :>) xx
ReplyDeleteJak - it was, not often, no idea, it was, it was and it was!!!
ReplyDeletexx
What a beautiful post! Time with family is the best way to spend any weekend. Happy Birthday to your dad!
ReplyDelete